Surfboard structure



Feb. 28, 1967 MEYERHOFER 3,305,881

SURFBOARD STRUCTURE Filed Sept. 16, 1965 2 Sheets-Sheet l i Fig.4 A

A A a z /a INVENTOR Lea/mew 6'. ME YEBHOFEQ Ar TO/Q/VE y Feb. 28, 1967 G, MEYERHOFER 3,305,881

SURFBOARD STRUCTURE Filed Sept. 16, 1965 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 FIG.6

' INVENTOR LEONA/2p 6'1 M5 YEEHOFEE fir raeA s Y United States Patent 3,305,881 SURFBOARD STRUCTURE Leonard G. Meyerhofer, 1567 Stoneman Place, Anaheim, Calif. 92802 Filed Sept. 16, 1965, Ser. No. 487,739 1 Claim. (Cl. 9-310) The present invention relates generally to the field of sports equipment, and more particularly to a surfboard on which means are removably mounted for use in manually propelling the board in the water beyond the breaker line.

In areas where breakers are large and follow one another in substantially uniform timed sequence, it is extremely difi'icult for a surfer to manually propel his board past the breaker line by use of his hands alone.

A major object of the .present invention is to provide manually operable propelling means for a surfboard that may be used by a surfer to propel his board at a relatively rapid rate during the time sequence between incoming breakers, and to thereby reach a position beyond the breaker line with a minimum of physical effort and with maximum safety to the user of the board.

Another object of the invention is to furnish a surfboard of novel structure, on which manually operable propelling means may be removably supported that may be used after the surfer has reached a position beyond the breaker line.

A still further object of the invention is to supply manually operable propelling means for use with a surfboard that is of simple mechanical structure, can be fabricated from standard commercially available materials, requires little or no maintenance attention, and permits surfing by individuals who heretofore have been unable to propel their boards beyond the breaker line due to lack of either strength or skill.

These and other objects and advantages of the invention will become apparent from the following description of several forms thereof, and from the accompanying drawings illustrating the same, in which:

FIGURE 1 is a perspective view of a first form of surfboard and first form of manually operable propelling means that can be used therewith;

FIGURE 2 is a top plan view of one of the propelling paddles being held in the hand of the surfer;

FIGURE 3 is a transverse cross-sectional view of the first form of board, taken on the line 33 of FIGURE 1, showing side elevational views of the paddles used therewith;

FIGURE 4 is an enlarged transverse cross-sectional view of a portion of the first form of surfboard, showing the manner in which one of the paddles is removably supported thereon;

FIGURE 5 is a fragmentary, top plan view of the first form of the board showing the locking means for maintaining one of the paddles in a removably supported position thereon;

FIGURE 6 is a fragmentary side elevational view of a portion of the first form of surfboard, taken on the line 66 of FIGURE 4;

FIGURE 7 is a transverse cross-sectional view of a portion of the first form of the board, taken on the line 7--7 of FIGURE 6;

FIGURE 8 is a fragmentary top plan view of a portion of the first form of surfboard with an end portion of one of the paddles projecting therefrom;

FIGURE 9 is a perspective view of a second form of surfboard with a second form of paddle removably supported thereon; and

FIGURE 10 is a perspective view of a third form of board with paddles of the form shown in FIGURE 2 removably supported in substantially concealed positions thereon.

With continued reference to the drawings for the general arrangement of the first form A of the surfboard, it will be seen to be of conventional configuration. The surfboard A includes a core 10 of a rigid, buoyant material such as a foamed polymerized resin, or the like. The upper and lower surfaces of core 10 are slightly convex, as can be seen in FIGURE 3.

Two laterally separated recesses 11 are formed in core 10 at substantially the mid-points of the side surfaces thereof, in which two side members 12 are disposed, as shown in FIGURES 3 and 4. The side members 12 are sealingly connected to a sheet 14 of waterproof material that envelopes the core 10. Two elongate pocket-defining members 16 formed from a rigid material such as plastic or the like, are provided on side members 12 and project inwardly into cavities 18 formed in the core 10.

The pocket-defining members 16 provide elongate spaces 20 within the confines thereof which are in communication with openings 22 of larger cross section formed in side members 12. The outer faces 24 of side members 12 are disposed inwardly substantial distances from the longitudinal sides 26 of the board A that are enveloped by the sheet 14. Upper and lower inwardly extending shoulders 28 are defined in the core 10 at opposite ends of each side recess 11, and are covered by the sheet 14. The outer surfaces 24, together with shoulders 28, cooperatively define said recesses 11, the purpose of which will be explained in detail hereinafter.

A pair of manually operable means B are provided for propelling the surfboard A out beyond the breaker line, which comprise short, relatively small paddles, each of which includes a blade 30 with a transverse handle 32 secured to one end thereof, as illustrated in FIGURES 1 and 2. In use, the paddles B are grasped by the hands 34 of the surfer C when it is desired to propel the board A beyond the breaker line in the manner shown in FIG- URE 1, with the paddles being moved rearwardly relative to the board while immersed in the water on which the surfboard floats. In this manner the surfboard A may be more easily propelled outwardly from shore whereby the surfer C can reach a position beyond the breaker line.

Ea'ch paddle B includes an intermediately disposed, rigid member 36 positioned between the handle 32 and blade 30, as can best be seen in FIGURES 2 and 4. A recess 38 extends upwardly from each opening 22 into the material defining one of the members 12. A transverse slot 40 is formed in each side member 12 in which a trigger D is pivtoally supported on a pin 42 spanning the slot.

Each trigger D includes an upwardly extending leg 44 and an inwardly extending leg 46, which latter leg defies an upwardly extending tooth 48 that serves to removably engage one of the recesses 38 and prevent inadvertent displacement of the paddle B from the pocketdefining member 16 in which it is removably mounted on the first form of surfboard A. The trigger D serves as a locking member to removably hold one of the paddles B on surfboard A. The leg 48 is at all times urged upwardly and in a counterclockwise direction by a bowed spring 50 secured to the lower surface of leg 46, and abuts against the lower surface 52 of slot 40.

When the surfer C desires to utilize the paddles B, be simply presses downwardly on the upper surfaces of the triggers D, to deform the springs 50 whereby the teeth 48 are disengaged from the recesses 38, and after such disengagement, the paddles can be removed from the pocket-defining members 16 to be used in the manner shown in FIGURE 1. After the paddles B have been so used, and the first form of surfboard A and surfer C are beyond the breaker line, the paddles are inserted in the pocket-defining member 16 (FIGURE 4) and held therein by the teeth 48 which engages the recesses 38 that extend from the opening 22, as best seen in FIG- URES 4 and 5.

A second form of surfboard E is shown in FIGURE 9, which is of the same general structure as the first form of surfboard A, other than that the side members 12 are omitted therefrom. Instead, the surfboard E is provided with a pocket member 54 of the same general structure as pocket-defining member 16, but different in shape, which extends forwardly from the rear end of the board. The pocket member 54 is preferably situated above a stabilizing fin 56 of a type that is conventional on present-day surfboard structures. The pocket member 54 is of such configuration as to slidably receive a single paddle 58 within the confines thereof, which fits snugly within the confines of the pocket member, and can be removed therefrom when needed to propel the surfboard E out beyond the breaker line after the paddle 58 has served its purpose, and is replaced within the pocket 54 until again required.

A third form F of surfboard is shown in FIGURE 10, that differs from the first form A in configuration only, and is formed from a solid piece of buoyant material. Paddles B of the same shape and structure as the paddles B previously described are removably disposed in later-ally opposed pockets 60 in the surfboard F, and are of the same general structure as the pockets described in detail in connection with the first form A of the board. All three forms of the board are used in a conventional manner, as is well known to those acquainted with the sport of surfing, and no detailed description of their use need be given.

Although the present invention is fully capable of achieving the objects and providing the advantages hereinbefore mentioned, it is to be understood that it is merely illustrative of the presently preferred embodiment thereof and I do not mean to be limited to the details of construction herein shown and described, other than as defined in the appended claim.

I claim:

The combination with a surfboard, provided with a core of buoyant material that is encased in a waterproof sheath, of means for manually propelling said surfboard outwardly against incoming breakers, which means ineludes:

(a) two laterally spaced pocket-defining means that extend inwardly towards one another in saidcore from opposite sides of said surfboard, with the outer extremities of said pocket-defining means being sealingly connected to said sheath;

(b) two paddles that are slidably mounted in said pockets;

(c) two transverse handles of greater cross section than that of the interior of said pockets in the outer ends of said paddles;

(d) engageable means in said pockets; and

(e) means on said handles that engage said engageable means for removably holding said paddles in said pockets when said paddles are not in use.

No references cited.

MILTON BUCHLER, Primary Examiner.

P. E. SAUBERER, Assistant Examiner. 

